When the Jacksonville Jaguars ride into town Sunday for a matchup at Acrisure Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers, third-year running back Travis Etienne will be on the cusp of history.
Over the last three games, Etienne has found the end zone on the ground at least twice, becoming the first running back since Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon in 2021 to do that in three straight games. Ironically, Mixon hit that mark with two rushing touchdowns on Nov. 28, 2021, against the Steelers.
Etienne is looking to take that one step further, accomplishing something that hasn’t been done since 2006 by Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson: score two touchdowns on the ground for the fourth straight game.
The Steelers, as obvious as it may sound, cannot allow that to happen.
Easier said than done, considering the issues the Steelers have had on the ground this season. Pittsburgh has the fifth-worst run defense in football, allowing 142.8 yards per game. The Steelers have also allowed at least one rushing touchdown in four of their six games this season, including two straight to the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams. In all three home games alone this season, Pittsburgh has allowed a rushing touchdown with San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey scoring from 65 yards out, Cleveland’s Pierre Strong Jr. punching one in from the 1-yard line, and Baltimore’s Justice Hill scoring from 14 yards out.
However, the Jaguars aren’t exactly one of the better rushing teams in football. They are averaging just 3.8 yards per carry on the season, which is 23rd in the NFL, though they’re 13th in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 113.4.
Etienne is averaging just 72.0 rushing yards per game and has had been held under 55 yards on the ground in four of six games this season.
Now, entering the Week Eight matchup against the Jaguars, the Steelers have to tighten up their run defense and aim to avoid making history.
Tomlinson, who had at least two rushing touchdowns in eight straight games during the 2006 season, won the NFL’s MVP award and set an NFL record for most touchdowns in a season with 31 (28 rushing). Etienne has a long way to go to achieve any of that, but he’s on the cusp of becoming the first player since Tomlinson in 2006 to do it in at least four straight games.
According to Stathead, seven players in NFL history have had at least two rushing touchdowns in four straight games: Tomlinson, Washington’s John Riggins, Dallas’ Emmitt Smith, Kansas City’s Priest Holmes, Miami’s Ricky Williams, Philadelphia’s Ricky Watters, and Washington’s Terry Allen.
Though the Steelers have been largely a mess defending the run this season, they have not allowed a single rusher to have two or more rushing touchdowns in a single game since the Thursday Night Football game on Dec. 9, 2021, on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. That day, Dalvin Cook ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Steelers lost, 36-28.
To have the best shot at defeating the Jaguars on Sunday to pick up their first home win over the Jaguars since 2011, the Steelers will have to keep Etienne from finding the end zone multiple times on the ground and avoid being part of history.
